Prepare for Your Career at College
[ A ] College is about many things, from learning about special subjects and the word in general, to increasing your breadth through a broad range of new and different experiences. But for almost everybody, college is at its core, mainly concerned with one thing: preparing you for a career.
[ B ] “Prepare” is a qualified word. College in no way makes you an expert in any field. Only experience will do that. But what college can do is to make you qualified to begin to gain that experience. It gives you the necessary skills to start on a journey that probably would not have been an option, had you not taken time to set your degree.
[ C ] But the degree alone is not enough to ensure that such a journey will begin any time soon. What you need, in addition to a diploma ( along with the knowledge and skills it embodies ) , is a plan. Without a plan, you’re leaving your fate up to chance, which means you could end up anywhere. There are overqualified, underemployed college grads waiting tables in every city, especially during tough economic times. But even during tough times, there are also grads from every college and university who end up with excellent career paths, immediately upon leaving school.
[ D ] What is the difference between the two? Talent? Connection? Luck? Yes, sometimes. But, there is one thing that makes it different between those who let life happen to them and those who take active control over their own careers, lives, and destinies. To get where you want to go, you must make some decisions, and then make a plan.
[ E ] A student without a post-college plan is much less likely to get off to an early start than a student with a plan. Indeed, freshmen year is not too early to be thinking about your first job out of school. This is because college affords many opportunities to increase your chances of getting a great job. Opportunities include summer jobs, internships, extracurricular activities, and even the specific courses you take.
[ F ] Planning is not only important for increasing your odds of getting any job but it’s also important for getting the right job. So start preparing your career now.